Billiard-cue rack.



R. B. SPIKBS.

BILLIARD CUE RACK. APPLICATION mum JULY 11, 1910.

Patented Oct. 11, 1910;

WITNESSES:

1w: 'voRRls PETERS 504, WASHINGTON, 11c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD B. SPIKES, OF ALBUQUERQUE, TERRITORY 0F MEXICO, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF TO THERON O. MASON, 0F ALBUQUERQUE, TERRITORY OF NEW MEXICO.

BILLIARD-CUE RACK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 11, 1910.

Application filed July 11, 1910. Serial No. 571,367.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD B. SPrKEs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Albuquerque, in the county of Bernalillo and Territory of New Mexico, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Billiard-Cue Racks, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to protect the owners of pool halls and billiard rooms against the wear and tear on the balls and tables by persons who, as habitues of these places, are accustomed to practice without paying.

Billiard and pool balls and ones are expensive items and the cloth which covers the tables and cushions is of the finist and most expensive fabric. The experience of most owners of pool rooms shows that there is more wear upon tables and paraphernalia due to practicing than to actual playing. In many instances the parties practicing are friends or customers and it risks an offense and a loss of patronage to ask them to desist.

My invention is designed to provide means for so looking the cues in the rack that no one can take them out unless the proprietor unlocks them, which the free user is not likely to ask him to do, and at the same time the owner is relieved of the necessity of having to ask the parties to stop their practicing, thus avoiding all ill feeling and at the same time saving the table, one tips and balls from the unprofitable wear and tear, and always having the tables in condition for those who wish to play.

My invention consists in the novel construction and arrangement of the cue rack with means for simultaneously looking all the cues at once and as quickly releasing the same when the tables are to be occupied by paying customers, as will be hereinafter more fully described with reference to the drawings in which;

Figure 1 is a partial top plan view with portions broken away. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section through line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an end elevation. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the locking cams. Fig. 5 is a side view of a one provided with a special collar to cooperate with my rack. Figs. 6 and 7 are views at right angles to each other, showing a modification of the locking mechanism, and Fig. 8 is a perspective view showing a further modification.

In the drawing, Fig. 2, A is the back, B the base and C the top member of the frame of my one rack. The base B is formed on its upper surface with a series of bored seats Z) to receive the butt ends of the cues and the top member C is cut in or indented with a series of slots a at points immediately above the cue seats of the base. These slots receive in their inner ends the cue retaining spring clasps D. These clasps extend almost around a complete circle and have their ends turned outwardly or away from each other in front. The spring clasps are held in position by one 01' .more screws in the middle bend of their inner portions. The spring clasps are made of a size to closely fit the cues and the outer ends of the two branches of the clasps approach each other so closely that a one cannot be pulled out laterally from between them, if the ends are not allowed to yield or expand away from each other, but may be easily pulled outif the spring ends are allowed to so expand. For this purpose I have provided means for locking the spring ends of all the clasps or unlocking them at will in a simple and convenient manner as follows: G, Fig. 2, is a bracket, one end of which is secured by screws or otherwise to the back of the frame at a point between the cue seats. On the top, and outer end of each bracket is fulcrumed at g a pair of crossed levers L L arranged like scissor blades. On the outer ends are formed upturned lugs Z that rest behind the ends of the spring clasps. The other two ends of each pair of levers straddle a cam e on a rotary adjustable shaft E which is journaled in horizontal position in bearings under the to member C and extends the full length of the rack. There is a cam c for each pair of levers alternating with the cue seats. These cams consists each of a boss or collar fixed rigidly on the shaft and having a tapering wedge shaped flange that 011 one side is equal to the length of the boss and completely fills the space between the ends of the levers when expanded to the position shown. When so expanded the lugs Z I rest behind the ends of the spring clasps in close abutting contact and so lock them that they cannot expand to allow the cue to be pulled out from between them, but if the shaft E be turned so that the thin part of the cam flange comes between the levers then bolt 2 of 'a" the outer ends of the levers with their lugs Z are free to move back and away from the expanding .ends of the spring clasps as a cue is pulled out from between the same. The shaft E extends through the end I of the rack see Figs. 1 and 3, and is there provided with acr-ankhandle F for turning the same. A'collar X is also rigidly formed on or attached to, the shaft E and this collar has a notch in its Jeriphery adapted to receive the lock y], so that when the bolt 2 is in the notch of the collar, the shaft E is locked in. position and the locking levers are held spread apart to lock the cue-holding spring clasps, but when it is desired to play, a key in the lock y draws back the bolt 2 and the shaft E is then turned by the crank handle as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 3. This loosens all the levers and unlocks all the cues.

In connection with my one rack I prefer to equip each one H with a small conical collar as seen at h in Fig. 5 and also in Fig. 2. This may be made of metal, soft rubber, or leather and it is located at the point where the one is grasped by the spring clasp. It has a two-fold function and coactive relation with my one rack, as follows: If the spring clasps should be a little loose, it might be possible to lift the cue vertically out of its base socket Z) and then, by swinging the butt end over the edge. of the base, pull the cue down and out. This conical collar 71- 'prevents this, for the taper of the cone prevents the cue from being lifted up out of itsbase socket Z). Furthermore this conical collar furnishes a wear surface for the clasps where they embrace the one From the foregoing it will be seen that my invention comprises a series of one sockets which supportthe butt ends of the cues, locking devices at points above the butt sockets which locking device not only prevents the cue from being pulled out laterally but also precludes it from being lifted vertically out of the butt su porting sockets and also a single operating device for all the locking devices for simultaneously locking and unlocking them and leaving them in both the locked and unlocked positions in their supporting sockets, so that when unlocked any one one may be taken out without disturbing the others. 7

In carrying out my invention I do not confine myself to the specific locking mechanism shown, as various modifications of the tion, the shaft E -arries radial arms 0* each with a wedge e at the end which, when the shaft- E is rocked, passes down between sliding abutments Z Z and thrust them up against the ends of spring clasps I) so as to lock the outlet.

I claim,

1. A cue rack comprising a holding f 'ame having seats for the cues, locking devices for locking the cues in their seats and a single operating device for simultaneously adjusting all the locking devices, consisting of a rotary adjust-able shaft having connections for each locking device and a lock for said shaft. 7

2. A cue rack comprising a holding frame having a base with sockets for the butts of the cues and an overhanging member with slots to receive the one body, a. horizontal shaft, and means connected to the shaft and operated thereby for locking or unlocking the cues in said slots.

3. A one rack comprising a holding frame, having a base with sockets for the butts of the cues and an overhanging member with slots to receive the cue body, a horizontal shaft, and means connected to the shaft and operated thereby for locking or unlocking the cues in said slots, consisting of an adjustable locking abutment operated by the shaft and expansible springclasps embraeing the cues and locked by said abutment.

4.. A cue rack comprising a holding frame. having a base with sockets for the butts of the cues and an overhanging member with slots to receive the one body, a horizontal shaft, and means connected to the shaft and operated thereby for locking or unlocking the cues in said slots, consist-ing of an adjustable locking abutment operated by the shaft and expansible spring clasps embracing the cues and locked by said abutment, and a one having a conical collar where encircled by the spring clasp.

5. A cue rack comprising a base with one sockets, a back and an overhanging member with slots containing expansible spring clasps for the cues, a series of pairs of crossed horizontal levers with ends adapted to abut against and lock the ends of the spring clasps, a horizontal shaft with a cam flange arranged between the rear ends of each pair of levers and a lock for said shaft.

6. A one rack comprising a base with 'ene, sockets, a back and an overhanging member with slots containing expansible spring clasps for the cues, a series of brackets connected to the back, a series of pairs of crossed horizontal levers fulcrumed upon the brackets and having ends adapted to abut against and lock the ends of the spring clasps, a horizontal shaft With cam flanges I arranged between the rear ends of each pair of levers and a lock for the shaft.

7. A cue rack having a base frame with socket seats for the butts of the cues, and an overhanging member With openings in Which the cues rest and from Which they are pulled laterally outward, locking de vices for holding the cues in and cues with a projection on each to prevent it from being vertically lifted out of its butt socket.

8. A rack for billiard cues and the like, comprising a series of butt supporting sockets, locking devices above the butt sockets constructed to lock the cues against both lateral and longitudinal movement and a single operating device for simultaneously operat ing the locking devices of all the cues Without disturbing the position of the cues in their supporting sockets.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

RICHARD B. SPIKES. Witnesses T. O. MASON, ALBERT E. HENDERSON. 

